


A Box of Purple Paint

by quite_probably_lying



Category: The Yogscast, Thief (Video Games)
Genre: Character Merging, Crossover, Implied Relationships, Implied Violence, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:13:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2895431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quite_probably_lying/pseuds/quite_probably_lying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My yogscast secret santa entry for Nospok on tumblr.</p><p>One of my little headcannons for Rythian, set after the first Magic Police vs Flux Buddies. (Sorry it's not at all christmasy, I couldn't think of any Christmas things to write)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Box of Purple Paint

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nospok](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Nospok).



> Merry Christmas!
> 
> (sorry it's late, I had computer issues)
> 
> Minor Bioshock Infinate spoilers, only about one sentence though.

"You bring him back!" For someone so small, Kim was easily the loudest person on the server when she wanted to be, and this was a time that probably deserved being loud. Chasing off the Magic Police wasn't that hard in the end, but it was too late. They had taken Duncan away, locked him in some cold, unforgiving cell. While the little witch was learning to be powerful, she knew better than to try and take on two other magic users in their own base. This rescue mission would require assistance. 

*****

It was often far too hot in the desert, but Zoey would tolerate it for Rythian, although Teep seemed to like it in the desert too. The mage had done a lot for her since the new world was founded, and they had become close friends again. Visitors to their sandcastle home were uncommon, normally it as just Ravs coming over from Cabertown, so the arrival of a player that has minimal contact with the Blackrock crew was a shock.

The teleporting had put Kim right in the middle of their courtyard, next to the tent where Zoey was cooking dinner for the boys and herself. The technomage greeted the witch and asked what was wrong, trying not to stare at the flux.  
"ThemagicpolicecametoourbaseandtookDuncan, butoneofthemwasDuncantoo, andnowineedhelprescuinghimsoisRythianhere?" Clearly flustered, Kim spoke far too fast for anyone to understand.  
"Calm down. Slow down. Try one word at a time." An accented voice said from behind her. Turning, she saw the endermage that she came to find.  
"The Magic Police came to our base and took Duncan, but one of them was Duncan too, and now I need help rescuing him please." She repeated slower, and was understandable this time. Despite their feuds in the past, Rythian and Duncan had been close friends before and now cared about each other immensely.  
"Jailbreaking. Fun, just like old times." He muttered to himself. "Here's what we're going to do. Kim, you are going to stay here with Zoey. I don't want either of you following me because it will be too dangerous and I don't want you caught too. I'm going to find some of my old gear, and then I'll go rescue him. Okay?" The fluxed up girl didn't look too pleased by the orders Rythian had given.  
"Yeah, and what makes you the expert?" Sounding more than a little cross, she questioned him. The scary effect would have worked better if he wasn't twice her height and more powerful.  
"Look, let's just say I'm older than you think I am and this would be my first time doing this kind of thing." With that, he strode off into their storage tent, leaving Zoey to deal with the grumbling witch. Attempts to make dinner were put on hold.

It wasn't long before Rythian re-emerged from the text, now clad in black leather and a plain black cape. A quiver was slung across his back and a mechanical folded bow slotted over the top. The mask covering his face remained. It wasn't until he came back over to join them that Zoey realised he was shorter, closer to Kim's height now that his own. When she called him out on this, he simply replied it was a spell he'd learnt a while ago, before teleporting away to god knows where to save Duncan.

*****

Instincts that Rythian thought he would need again returned fast. His body remembered how to blend and move with the shadows as if he was one, he was aware of what to avoid so that almost no sound as made, anything that may have held value glinted, trying to distract him. Not that the Magic Police had much, they mainly kept valuable items on themselves. They weren't making it hard to break in either, sitting round drinking and yelling loudly at each other. Shadows and silence were Rythian's friends and they served him well now. The drunk fools didn't notice him crouched in the corner of the room, listening as they congratulated themselves, then calling the other one an idiot for not sorting out an evidence chest. That meant they still had Kim's stolen things that she had asked if Rythian could also retrieve. That didn't matter so much, items can be remade. Flux Duncan was the objective here, although the cells didn't seem to be within the main compound. Luck seemed to run with Rythian, as Sjin chose that moment to start wittering again.  
"That train over to the cells really is useless. It would be quicker to run along the tunnel."  
Train. He'd passed a train on the way here. That little bit of information just made this search a whole lot easier.

The moon was only just hovering above the horizon as he snuck outside again. Or, it should be, if it wasn’t blocked out by some huge structure build just offshore.  
“I guess that’s where I’m heading.” Rythian quietly commented to himself, noting that is accent had at some point slipped away and he sounded more like his previous self again. The train tunnel was narrow and had a low ceiling, but small spaces had never bothered him. It only became unnerving when the material surrounding him became glass and reviled the surrounding sea. For someone who is essentially allergic to water, it was not an ideal location. Still, he could move swiftly without fear of discovery. Those two fools were too far up their own backsides to even consider hiring help or guards for their ugly prison.

*****

The first few cells held nothing but menial creatures and a practical joke. No clear pathway to another location could be seen, yet Rythian was used to finding not so practical/legal methods of exploring areas. A large platform was built above him, support struts anchored to the walls. A well-aimed rope arrow could latch onto one of those; chances are Duncan was being held up there. The strut was sloped but looked like it was still at a climbable angle.

Two of the ropes had rotted and fallen apart, but the third still looked useable so long as he didn’t swing too much on it. Once shot, the arrow stayed firm and the rope hung down along the wall. About six feet above the walkway he was on… Here goes nothing.

Rythian managed to grab the rope when he jumped, but crashed painfully into the wall and the rope creaked in an unnerving way. The rest of the climb was easy enough, if more tiring than he remembered. The strut was more slopped than it looked from below, but still manageable, even if he did slide down a bit every now and again.

Sure enough, the large platform held another cell, one built out of bedrock. At first it look empty, but closer inspection showed a slightly bruised and bloodied Duncan curled up on the hard floor, resting his head in his arms as a crude pillow. The flux that infected him was glowing slightly, dimly lighting the cell that would be void of light otherwise. Sjin might have thought he was being rather clever building a cell out of bedrock, but he was an idiot really. There was nothing in the prison to stop magic being used and there were several magic users on the server with the ability to move bedrock. A clear exit was made in no time.

“Duncan. Duncan, wake up.” Rythian gently shook the other man to wake him up. The technomage slowly woke and raised his head. Dressed in his old outfit and having reverted back to voice he used back then, Rythian looked nothing like the endermage Duncan knows. The blond studied the man in front of him, which allowed a clear view of his face. One of his eyes was swollen and almost forced shut, but that wasn’t what made Rythian’s blood boil. On his cheek, a crude S to clear to be an accident was cut sharp and deep. Sjin would suffer for trying to brand Duncan as his, but now wasn’t the time.  
“Come on, I’m helping you escape. I’ll explain when we’re back at base. Kim is waiting for you there.” Rythian kept his voice low and as comforting as he could manage, whilst trying to help the injured man stand. He perked up a little at Kim’s name, but still hadn’t figured out who was helping him.

*****  
The journey back to the desert had been tedious, but they made it just as the sun hit the midday point. Kim would have probably tackled Duncan with a hug if Rythian hadn’t stopped her from damaging the injured technomage even more. They got him cleaned up and sat up in a bed with some soup before Rythian got interrogated by all three about his outfit, voice (which had switched back to accented now he was back in him mage getup), and how he had managed to break Duncan out of jail.

“Alright, sit down and get comfy because even the short version is kind of long. As you know, I’m not human and I live a lot longer too. Every lifetime or so, I move where I live and who I live as. I’ve always been Rythian the mage on the inside, just it’s not always who I lived as. Once, I was the bodyguard to an Empress until I got framed for her murder and had to prove I was innocent, lot of other stuff happened it’s too long to explain now. Another time, I was a ninja…” He paused, moving one arm to wrap around his stomach “you know what, let’s not talk about that one. Oh and once, I went up to this beautiful city in the sky that was really corrupt to fetch this girl who turned out to be my daughter and then… Actually, let’s not talk about that one either. But last time, I was a thief. My name was Garret, but I was also known as ‘the child of shadows’. I was the Master Thief, secret owner of the city. If I wanted something, it was mine. I had few friends, fewer still that I trusted. But they’re lives gone. While they were me, I am not longer them.” With that, he got up and left, not to return until after hours of walking in the desert.  
Zoey said she needed to find Teep, and left the tent too, but it was just an excuse to leave the two fluxed-up friends alone. Kim fussed over Duncan, mothering him in every way possible until he fell asleep. At which point she snuggled up next to him, happy to have her friend back only a little harmed.

*****

Rythian told the others that he got rid of all of his old stuff after that day. He also promised himself he wouldn’t go back to it again. That promise may have got broken once, but the looks on the Magic Police’s faces when they woke up, completely hung over, to find their base cleared out and a message on the wall of Duncan’s cell. It was in two different variations of purple, flux and ender and simply read ‘DON’T MESS WITH US’


End file.
